Riven: A sword mirrors it's owner
by StarcraftWOOT
Summary: Riven has come to the league guilt-ridden and unstable. Facing the obstacle of her first match, she now faces Singed, the sole focus of her hatred for many years. But in order to conquer her opponent, she will need first to learn to conquer herself. Can this Broken blade be reforged?
1. Cast out

_Riven: A sword mirrors it's owner._

"_Champion Riven, you have passed your judgement, and are scheduled for a match in the summoner's rift tomorrow. Until then, you are welcome to explore the institute as you will. Any items or services you may wish for need simply be asked for, and the league will do it's best to accomodate. Welcome to the League of Legends._"

Sitting on the steps of a nearby stairwell, Riven found she felt the same level of exhaustion sitting or standing. She'd been offered some food by one of the servers here, and took merely some bread, cheese, and an apple. She might have offended the chef when she had refused his wishes to give her "A feast worthy of the league" but such ridiculous extravagances were for noblemen and artisans. She was used to simpler fare such as this. A soldier did not bother with such frippery, and any commander who ate better than their men commanded no respect and was doomed to fall to his own arrogance.

"_But you have no soldiers under your command anymore. You doomed them to fall into an ambush, and then Singed robbed them of an honorable death in combat. Your comrades died without the breath to scream._"

Riven threw her apple at the wall, the fruit practically vaporizing itself on the stone surface, leaving little more than a misty yellow liquid. The sound echoed throughout the institute, which was no surprise. Riven had expected the institute to be large, filled with magic, and adorned with statues and monuments around every corner, but she hadn't been quite prepared for how _empty _the place was. For all she'd heard of the splendor, the main thing the massive fortress of magic made her feel, was alone.

"_That's not the institute, Riven. Here, or anywhere, you are alone. Your comrades are dead, and you deserted your country. Where don't you feel alone?_"

"You are Riven of Noxus, correct?" a strong baritone voice pulled Riven out of her stupor. "I am-"

"Garen." Riven answered, instantly recognizing the large, armor-plated form of the man in front of her, the man inside being equally large. In truth, the man looked more bear than human, and if not for her own massive rune-blade, the long-sword the man carried would have been the largest she'd ever seen. "Leader of the Demacian vanguard."

"You know of me?" The man asked, honest humility showing in his voice.  
"I was told by Noxian intelligence that after our work in Ionia, I was meant to rectify Katarina's failure and defeat you and your vanguard the next time you deployed from demacia."  
"Truly, that would have been a clash that would have went into legend." Garen replied evenly. "Fury Company was a strong unit, and you have my sympathies for your loss. To die so ungracefully, not in the valiant heat of battle, but to Singed's gaseous tricks..."  
"Either way, they would have died. I'd led them right into an Ionian ambush. We were heavily outnumbered, and in a bad position. My men's deaths are my responsibility."

"I was never informed of the fact-"  
"What do you want, Demacian?" Riven cut him off, feeling her patience wear thin. She didn't need the man rubbing her failure in her face like this.

"I'll get to the point." Garen said, seeming slightly annoyed by Riven's dismissive tone. In truth, Riven didn't really care whether or not she offended the man by this point. He was merely a Demacian, after all. "You'll be taking what was to be my spot in the match tomorrow, on the top lane of Summoner's rift."

"So, what? Are you mad they decided I was better for the role than a proud Demacian?" Riven asked, mirthful despite herself. Even if she wasn't truly a Noxian anymore, she still felt some of the nationalistic hatred for them most Noxians shared, and this arrogant man was already beginning to make her regret her decision to join the League.

"Hardly, I meant simply to inform you of the circumstances regarding the match." Garen told her as he grit his teeth. Riven took some small comfort from the fact she'd managed to get on his nerves, at least. "Firstly, you'll be fighting alongside a team of Demacians." Riven raised an eyebrow at that. "Including My sister, our best tracker, and the crown prince of Demacia himself, Jarvan the fourth.".

"And you want to make sure I'll play nice? Don't worry Demacian, I'll play ball." Riven said in a mocking tone.  
"That's one issue settled, then." Garen nodded, "But I'm meant to inform you on something that may be of more import-"

"Well, well." This voice came out with a venomous rasp, the tone at once sounding powerful and ravaged. And ravaged he was, as Singed appeared from behind Riven, a man who looked twice his age with a bald head and burnt features, almost his entire body was covered in bandages, his only weapon appearing to be a red-and-gold spiked shield. "Looks like I've found the anomaly, after all this time. I'm going to enjoy our match, tomorrow." Singed said, smirking as he shifted his gaze from Riven to Garen, no doubt about to make some taunt.

But in that instant, a flash of bright green energy exploded outwards from Riven in every direction, as Singed was knocked off his feet, the stairs breaking beneath him and Riven both. Riven took this opportunity to go for a quick but powerful slash at her opponent while falling, Singed's bulwark nearly breaking under the strain.

Riven's body glowed with green energy, as she went for a spinning slash at Singed's body, the Attack pulling sparks from the shield as Singed attempted to gain footing for a proper stance. Following up with a swift slash to his right side, she let the motion of the blade guide her into another full rotation, pushing her momentum forward as Singed's bulwark was nearly knocked from his hand by the force only for Riven to score a smaller hit on the other side of his body.

Singed's eyes turned to terror as Riven jumped into the air, any thoughts of fighting back swept from his mind, as she brought her blade down on his guard, the mystical bulwark breaking in two as she hit the shield. Singed was knocked into the wall by this last hit, just barely standing of his own accord, as Riven dashed forward, ready to cut him in half.

"Stop." a strong hand grabbed her sword-arm, leaving her unable to budge the blade forward despite her effort. Riven tried her best, but garen's armored hand refused to give an inch.

"Vanguard, this isn't your fight. Let me finish-"  
"Look up at the statue!"

Riven glanced at the statue next to the stairwell, only to see the purple gem she originally thought purely for decoration, glowing bright purple with condensed energy. She'd seen these sort of statues before – but normally only in the capital of Noxus itself! They were massive structures built purely for summoning magical power, unleashing it in a condensed beam of yellow light on anyone foolish enough to trigger such defenses. She'd had the chance to see similar defenses in Noxus, and she'd also seen them drill through dozens of feet of hard steel like a sword through flesh. She had no allusions that she would have fared better if she was struck by anything that powerful.

Singed laughed a sickly, mocking laugh, as Garen explained "when the summoners forbade infighting within the institute of war, it was not a request. Similar towers adorn the rest of this facility in order to keep the peace. They will utterly eradicate any who disturb the peace and cause death within the walls. Had you gone one step farther, you would have been fired upon."

Riven simply glared, first at Garen, then at singed, before wrenching her arm out of Garen's hold. "Got it." She simply said in response.

Though Singed's mouth was covered in bandages, his tone betrayed his smirk as he said "So, able to do that much even with a broken hunk of metal. Interesting."

"A broken blade is more than enough for the likes of you!" Riven spat.

Garen stepped between the two, glaring at Singed. "Enough! If you keep badgering her in this manner, I will report it to the summoners, and allow them to judge your actions."

Singed merely laughed. "If I recall, she was the one who just attempted to cut me in half. But fine, Vanguard. I got all I came for, anyways – my opponent's now shown her hand early, after all." Singed laughed, casually walking away from the situation, a slight lean towards his left side the only thing that seemed to betray the fact he was just in a fight – well, that, or the small trail of blood he left as he walked.

"That was an... Impressive show of force, Lady Riven." Garen said finally after a few seconds.

"Who else is in the match, Vanguard?" Riven asked, knowing the answer before he said it.

"The mastermind Swain is taking the middle lane, Darius, the hand of Noxus-"

"Please, I don't need to hear titles, just tell me without the flowery speech." She cut him off.

"...Very well, Darius is patrolling the jungles, and Morgana and Draven are paired in the lower lane."

Garen quickly added with "It's normal for them to pair Noxians with one another, they generally work well together-"

"Thank you." Riven cut him off, gritting her teeth. For all of Garen's somewhat-competent attempts to assuage her, she knew exactly what this team meant. Noxus was bringing its A-game, but it was also grouping her with the demacians – this entire match was merely meant to snub her, to call her a traitor without saying it aloud.

Riven hadn't cared about this match until now, but given these circumstances... She planned to win this match with all her strength. Walking away from Garen without a word, she held her blade so hard it shook. Turning back around just as Garen was almost out of sight, she finally managed to say. "I'll do everything in my power to win the next match. You have my word."

Garen nodded at that, though Riven turned back around so quickly she didn't see it. Not that Riven would have acknowledged it in the first place.

The only thing on her mind was winning the next match – and pounding Singed into a bloody pulp.


	2. Anticipation

"_Champion Riven, it has come to our attention that you maimed and attempted to murder champion Singed yesterday evening. We ask that such outbursts not occur again – we cannot have such disruption and strife within the League. Any continued action in this vein will result in your immediate expulsion from the league. We, as summoners, have realized the error is also ours – henceforth, Singed will be restricted from contact with you outside of scheduled league matches, and will be notified similarly that any further instigation on his part will result in his own ban from the League."_

Riven wasn't sure if the Demacian had told the summoners of her recent altercation with Singed, or they'd simply used their vaunted clairvoyance spells to see the situation for themselves. She supposed she didn't care either way – she was simply going to focus on her job today. That's what she told herself at least: In truth, the idea of "vengeance" - at least in the transient way the league could offer – was her mind's main focus as she left her quarters today. To see him strolling in here, calling himself a "champion" – a man who murdered his comrades just to secure an objective, who represented every single thing Noxus had become, everything that had warped her proud country into it's current nightmarish state.

Just thinking about him made her want to scream in anger, to simply fight him right now, and damn the League and it's judgements, but Riven was a soldier, and she'd long since learned to control her fury, make it work for her instead. At the same time, she knew her anger was too great for even the measure of control she'd managed to master, and that it already made her vision almost haze. Such anger dulled the blade and took away precision, and she knew that she should spend some time in meditation, to replace this anger with calm focus and serenity.

Instead, she strolled for the institute's summoning circle, blade already in hand. She ended up causing some junior summoners to literally run out of her way when they saw her, her scowling face being more than enough to intimidate any fresh face of the institute.

Riven found she was not the only one in the room as she entered a dark chamber filled with blue hues.

"Ahhh, the full team is here. A few minutes early, too. Let's get the summoning started." A summoner wearing a purple-and gold robe and with a white beard ordered, as a group of junior summoners huddled around the large circle.

Several other summoners, the badges and other awards on their chest, went to confer with the other people in the room. Riven looked around to see the rest of her "Team" as the summoning circle's energy lit the room. She'd seen Jarvan in reports before, but he certainly seemed taller in person – if Garen was a bear, Jarvan reminded her more of a mountain lion, sleek and powerful and built with no useless bulk or weight anywhere on his person. There was also a blonde-haired girl she'd never seen before, who by her face must have been the sister Garen had spoken of, wearing a blue spandex suit underneath armor and wearing a playful smile, and a large rocky creature with wings that resembled a stocky gargoyle to Riven, and yet another person she recognized, the famed Demacian tracker Quinn, her eagle Valor sitting on her arm. All of them were talking to a specific summoner, she recognized, and almost as if in response to that realization, she felt a finger softly tap her shoulder.  
"Do that again without warning and I'll cut it off." Riven said, as she turned around to see a summoner. He was clad in classical summoning robes, and had a silver badge on his chest resembling the face of a smiling, furry yordle.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm bad with the personal space. You have my esteemed apologies, Riven." the summoner said, backing off immediately. "I'm Summoner Feng, and I'll be your summoner this match." the man said, pulling down his hood. The man seemed "Starved" for lack of a better word, with hollow cheeks, bags under his eyes, and angled features. Riven shook his thin and bony hand, almost worried she'd break it off, as he brushed his black hair out of his face. "Since it's your first match, I won't ask for too much, and try to take a back-seat."  
"I won't need your assistance. I know how to fight, summoner." Riven shot back.

"Please, call me Feng." The summoner replied, seemingly oblivious to the comment. "I know you know how to fight – I'm actually from Noxus, so I'd heard of your exploits since I was a boy."

Riven raised an eyebrow at that. "How... old are you?"  
"Eighteen." The summoner replied with a bit of rasp. "I happened to work as a magician next-door to a chemist's lab." He explained, motioning to himself. "I look better than I did then, but... well, I guess my looks explain it better than I do."

Riven's expression softened a bit, aware of what the gas could do. She herself would have developed complications from being so near Singed's toxins if the League hadn't given her a check-up upon her entry, and she shivered at the thought of herself suffering such a similar fate, losing her physical strength.

Feng smiled wearily, his demeanor already seeming tired. "I understand you know how to fight, Riven, and it's an honor just to stand next to such tactical genius, but you need to understand – the league honestly isn't a battle. It's closer to an elaborate game or training exercise, and it has it's own rules. I'm here to provide intelligence and support you with spells from afar. I can provide suggestion, but ultimately it's up to you whether to follow those suggestions at this point."

Riven, after a few seconds of contemplation, sighed and nodded. "Just don't distract me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, captain."

"No!" Riven said to him. "It's Riven, now."  
"I'm so-"

"don't be sorry, just don't do it again."

"alright, got it." He finally said, putting his hands in his pocket. "A-anyways, other than me, you should probably speak to Lux before the match. She's coordinating the strategy."

"Lux?" Riven asked with a frown. He couldn't mean that blonde-haired girl. She hardly looked fifteen!  
"Oh, have you not met the Lady of Luminosity yet? She's quite the tactician – even matched swain for wits once or twice, if I recall correctly. She's actually a Crownguard, and bears all the rigid attachment to duty of her brother-"  
"Hello new teammate!" An energetic voice said from behind Riven, gripping her in a hug from behind. "I'm so excited to meet you"

"...Though unlike her brother, her youth does show at times..." Feng finished.

"...Listen, Lux, was it?" Riven started to admonish her, determined to loosen her grip, but she couldn't escape the viselike grip of Lux's hug no matter how she struggled  
"Oh, you already know my name? It's so nice to meet you. I'm sure that between you and I we can dominate the northern part of the rift – oh, and Jarvan, but he's not able to focus on just us, he needs to patrol the whole jungle. So he's only half up-north." Lux babbled, completely cutting across Riven's words.  
"Alright, listen you-"  
"oh, that reminds me, it's so cool to have another girl on the team. It's nice to fight alongside someone close to my height, rather than these big 7 foot tall giants all the time. I mean, there's Quinn, but have you seen her bird? It's terrifying, I thought it'd peck my eyes out at the sight of it. You know what I mean when it comes to birds, right? They're just-"

"Lux! We have limited time before the match and the Noxians are already ready. Mind getting on with it?" The words were not uttered by riven, but instead a glaring man that appeared from behind Lux.

"Oh... S-sorry, prince Jarvan, I just get excited meeting new people sometimes..." Lux cleared her throat, pulling her hands back to her sides. "Alright, so as you might know already, I'll be opposite swain in the middle lane of Summoner's rift, and you'll be in the northern lane fighting-"  
"Singed." Riven said, "Go on." Riven was impatient to hear her stratagem.

"Well, if you don't know yet, I should tell you, the summoner's rift has a specific power to it." Lux said, suddenly serious. Riven herself was not surprised – in her unit, she'd had similar soldiers, able to act utterly relaxed and constantly making jokes, only to then instantly snap into shape in an engagement, shifting their focus onto the battle quicker and more easily than some of the "Serious" soldiers did. It was an uncommon quality, but one of Riven's own sergeants had it, and more than a few of her sword-arms.

"Power?" Riven asked, not having been informed of it. Riven had never watched a League match in her life, considering such a waste of time as a soldier and not considering them at all during her time in exile. She didn't necessarily regret not doing so, but she wished she'd at least paid a little more attention to her subordinates that did.

"Well, for one, you won't be at full strength until near the end of the match." Lux explained "This is an intentional flaw in the summoner's spell to bring you to the rift and establish a link."

"Intentional flaw? What's the point?"  
"Well, the idea is that if the champions were all full-strength from the get-go, even the summoner's can't add much to prevent the match from ending quickly. Even the strongest defenses they conjure aren't powerful enough to deal with the average league champion."  
"Alright, so what defenses are you speaking of?" Riven asked, quirking  
"well, you know of the three lanes, correct?"  
"I know of them. They're guarded by turrets, and we're meant to destroy them before destroying the Nexus, the key objective." Riven said, hoping she'd remembered that small bit of league knowledge correctly.

Lux smiled, "Correct, but we don't go after them alone. The league animates small golem-things and gives 'em weaponry, and sends them out to fight for us, that they call minions. They're not actually our minions though, they just mindlessly try to attack the enemy team's lane, fighting other minions and trying to destroy the turrets. They're not really all that GOOD at fighting, mind you, actually pretty pathetic. I managed to destroy one by tripping it in the lane once, and it fell on it's face..."  
Jarvan growled. "Lux..."  
"Oh! Right!" Lux scratched the side of her head nervously. "Anyways, when you beat down on the minions, it slowly restores your power, bit by bit, by absorbing the magic they store, until you're at full-power. Plus, you get gold from it, which is something the summoner's can use to buy empowering items for you."  
Riven held her blade protectively. "I'm more than satisfied with my current equipment, I'm not going to use some rent-a-weapon!  
Feng almost put his hand on Riven's shoulder, before remembering Riven's earlier threat and promptly stepping back. "Oh, don't worry about that. That's actually one of our main duties – rather than you wielding the item directly, we actually get the item brought to us and it's power is channeled into you through our link. The exceptions being the various potions and elixirs one can also purchase for healing or empowerment."

Riven relaxed her grip on her sword, her hand hurting from her own grip. The remaining piece of her past, even if she herself had been the one who had reduced it to this broken state. She refused to let go of it, even after all of this time.

"Alright, I got it, what's your point, then?"  
Lux smiled a little bit nervously, feeling the intensity of Riven's gaze as she continued. "Since you're such a powerful swordsman, we're giving you the northern lane to guard against Singed. It's your job to keep the minions from attacking the tower – and Singed too – and break theirs, if you can. But there's one important thing to remember... The nearby river gives an extra approach to the middle lane, and flows from top to bottom lane in the match. There's plenty of bushes and the mist in the rivers causes visibility to go waaaay down. Singed is known for using this to help him work with swain to trap and kill opponents in the middle lane."  
Riven nodded "And you want me to prevent him from doing that?"

Lux smirked. "Close, but nope! Just let me know when he does." she said "Singed can't catch me since he's got no way of reaching me without getting caught, as long as I'm ready for him."

Riven stuttered a bit. "I... I don't understand."  
Feng cleared his throat "Lux is actually Demacia's finest light mage. Her spells allow her a variety of abilities to bind and intercept opponents. She's a nightmare for anyone reliant on close combat."  
Lux smiled shyly at that comment "Aw, you're gonna make me blush."  
"But still, wouldn't it be better for me to come from behind and take out Singed with you?" Riven asked, still not fully on-board with this plan.

"Singed's poisons and chemicals don't harm the towers, but that rune-blade of your's another matter." Lux explained. "Any time he's out of the lane is an opportunity for you to push the minions forward and take the turret. Even if you can't take it out in one go, it will still force Singed to deal with you or lose the tower. It's a win-win!" Lux said triumphantly. "Although..."  
"Although?" Riven asked, curious.

"To be honest, I don't know why Swain would bring Singed into this match-up in the first place, in a position like this. For someone skilled in binding from a distance, he normally would have chosen Mundo. It doesn't have any tactical advantage, and Swain doesn't do things meaninglessly. Singed must have some hidden use, here, So be careful!" Lux told her.

"...Got it." Riven said finally, her eyes downcast. She wasn't keen on the idea of abandoning her comrade to that monster, even if it was just a Demacian she had to work with for a few hours.

"Hey, don't worry." Lux said, reading through Riven's expression. "You can take him out after I send him packing back with a laser to the face!" She said, playfully nudging Riven.

"I wasn't worried." Riven lied. "It's just a game for the summoners to play, that's all. It would be stupid to worry about someone's death when it's just a temporary nuisance you'll recover from in the span of a few seconds." Riven said.

Lux shrank back, her face falling a bit before she could recover her smile, and Riven supposed she might have put a bit too much venom in her tone.  
"O-of course. Sorry." Lux said, scratching at her ear.

"...So, is there anything else?" Riven asked.

"We'll talk about it once the match starts. I'll have to modify the plan depending on how the match goes, after all. If that's alright with you, that is." Lux asked her.

"Even if it doesn't, we're honestly starting to go over our allotted time." Feng cut in "So it'd be better for us to continue to the match."

Riven felt a sudden mental nagging that she knew wasn't her own, and assumed it was the summoner's way of informing them they were out of time before the match.

"Lead the way." Riven said, unsure of what, exactly, she was meant to do.

Lead to a circle of polished marble covered in blue runes, Riven was lead to stand in a circle with her four teammates, standing in between Lux and the odd golem she'd seen earlier, only now realizing that he was in fact a champion of Demacia. The circle glowed with a magical flame in the center, as she now saw a far-away place.

Sound seemed to seep from the walls, as the room began to shift, as Riven looked around, she saw her surroundings blur – the walls seemed to twist and turn, and simply violate laws of physics as they swirled and rotated, even the summoners themselves looking like some madman's art project. The only things that remained solid and unchanging were herself and the rest of the champions as they stood stoicly, and Riven was thankful for that, attempting to focus on Lux as she felt Nausea begin to form in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, a loud, feminine voice boomed from all around her at once, further disorienting her and nearly making her lose her balance.

"Welcome, all champions, summoners, and patrons, to this, the 1,833rd league match of the Summoner's Rift! Fighting to free the Ionian Island of Erythrae from it's current grip in Noxian hands stands a mighty team of Warriors: Lux, the Lady of Luminosity! Galio, the Sentinel's Sorrow! Quinn and Valor, Demacia's wings! Our prince Jarvan IV, the Exemplar of Demacia himself! And last but not least, a new champion of the league, Commander Riven, the Exile!"

Riven looked at Lux, hoping she could speak without puking in these hellish surroundings, and finally said "Lux, what's going on?"  
"They're announcing our names to everyone scrying the match from outside! Don't worry about it, she shuts up the rest of the match until she has something important to say." Lux said quietly.

"She'd better." Riven said, though she realized she had no idea who she was threatening – if she was a "Who" at all. Still, she was already having misgivings about this match – she thought she'd understood the point of the league when she'd joined, but to think of this match being broadcasted with such flashy titles – of being treated like some sort of dancing monkey to entertain these people, complete with flashy nickname... It was irritating.

Trying to push those thoughts out of her mind, she merely closed her eyes as the teleportation continued, cracks of light appearing as the walls and floor seemed to crack and shatter around her, replaced by a bright blue sky, and a wall of vegetation behind her. Finally, Lux grabbed her shoulder, whispering "It's done, you can open your eyes now. We're here." 

"Welcome to Summoner's Rift!"

Well, I'd planned for a friday release, but 3:30 in the morning on saturday counts, right?

Not sure if I'll do constant Author notes from now on, but figured I'd use the last little bit of space here to inform you of some things.

Firstly, this fic is in fact planned to release weekly, with a chapter either this long or longer. I'll set a release date tentatively as "friday" but thursday or saturday releases might happen often too(This chapter being a prime example).

I'd love to thank my followers for supporting me, and would love to see some reviews giving criticism, preferable constructive, but hey, any flamers that wanna say hi are welcome too. I'm also very open to PM's concerning this fic or any other.

I'll also apologize in advance if I don't end up adhering to that schedule I just set in stone a paragraph back – this is the first time I've attempted to schedule my content, and also the first time I've written this much this consistently. I'll do my best to adhere without letting my quality suffer.

Lastly, I'll note that I may have pairings later on – though if there are in fact said things, I'll likely keep them at the side of the story – I want this to be more of an adventure that delves into Riven's psyche and follows her growth as a person, and while a romance can be a part of that, I won't let it take over the fic if it happens.

Oh, right, you people sometimes like reading the author's thoughts on a chapter. Well, it was a bit difficult simply to find the time recently, what with just getting in my books for college and playing catch-up. Writing the characters was also a bit of a challenge for me – I admittedly didn't plan Feng out well at all, and had to change a lot of the chapter around him. Honestly, it's a bit of a pain that many league fics in some ways outright require a summoner OC, but I'll make sure he doesn't overstep his puny summoner bounds. This fic will remain focused on the canon champions more than anything. Lux was also a challenge – it was difficult to mix her playfulness with her tactical mind and her own serious side, and I'm rather worried she might come off as goofy rather than young. Well, I guess I'll found out from your reviews exactly how she turned out.

Alright, if I keep writing these notes, I'll end up having an author's note bigger than the chapter, so I'll just finish this up. Next Friday, look forward to an action-packed chapter, as we finally enter Summoner's Rift and Riven finally confronts Singed on the battlefield. 'Till then Guys.


	3. Confrontation

Confrontation

Riven focused hard on her feet, determined to make sure she was standing on solid ground.

"Err, Riven...?" Lux poked her. "Are you okay? The first teleportation's always the hardest."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Riven lied. In truth, she felt like she was going to throw up. "I'd best get moving, there's a lot of ground to cover." Riven walked towards the stairs of the summoning circle.

"_Hold just a moment._" A voice in Riven's head that she somehow knew was Feng, said, and she did. In truth, she did enjoy the idea of having a moment to get her bearings. She could feel in her muscles and her energy just how bereft of strength this summoning technique had left her. She had little more ki flowing through her than the average soldier, and she felt as though her muscles had shrank. Panic formed in the back of her head, worried of just how she'd deal with the challenges ahead, of feeling her power simply leave her so easily, so quickly... No! She would learn to adapt. She would not fail at the first hurdle.

"_Alright, you can head out_" Riven felt a tingling sensation as he said this, flowing into her feet. She felt as though strength flowed through her legs, and realized this must likely be an effect of the "items" she had heard about. Looking on her belt, she then realized she had several bottles filled with red liquid attached to it. Recognizing them as potions of health from her service as a soldier, she was surprised that she'd managed to have five – even in Noxus, only senior commanding officer positions were allowed the items, so expensive were they to create and flask. To see five given so easily here... the League clearly had even more wealth than she realized.

After adjusting the potions on her belt to a set-up more suited to her, she strode towards her lane, only to feel what felt like a bell mentally sound in her head, as what appeared to be a blue circle appeared before her eyes. Highlighting a part of the woods, Riven heard Feng's voice again "_Ahh, I forgot, I forgot, we need to help Jarvan with his own mission before we continue_."  
"_I don't understand_" Riven attempted to mentally send back. In truth, she had no idea if that was how the link worked – hell, in truth, she wished that someone had took the time and effort to explain more of how this mind-link worked before she entered the field. Learning on the fly like this was not something Riven was unused to, but she didn't enjoy the fact she was being talked down to by an eighteen year old civilian of all things.

"E_h, sorry, I didn't mean to do that, if that's how you feel. I have nothing but respect for you, I'd never intentionally condescend._" Feng thought to her in response to her question. Riven grit her teeth at the realization the summoner likely heard everything she thought – this match was already beginning to get on her nerves. Concentrating on the blue light, she followed the rather obviously carved route to a patch of thick grass, the light fading as she approached. "What am I here to help with?" Riven asked, expecting an answer from Feng. Instead, the grass parted as Jarvan stepped out, a bright grin on his face showing his excitement at the thought of yet another challenge to overcome as Demacia's next king.

"There is a powerful golem that spawns here. He contains the runes of inspiration, which give it's current bearer someone crystal-clear concentration and overflowing energy. I use this temporary boost to allow me to destroy the beasts in the jungle by myself after destroying the golem and taking the runes." Jarvan explained. "It's finally appeared. Think you can lend some assistance?"

Riven readied her blade, turning the corner only to see a gigantic beast.

Made of stone, and covered with vines and runes, the golem towered over Riven like a child next to a dragon. The being raised it's arms, as if in challenge, and Jarvan rushed past Riven, with his spear pointed straight at the golem and shouting a harsh war-cry of "Demacia!".

Riven refused to be left behind, however, rushing forward as her blade charged green with Ki.

The golem pulled it's hand back in order to strike Jarvan, only for Riven to Jump in the way, stopping the golem's fist with her own weapon, the broken pieces of her rune-blade still sharp enough to pierce into the golem's fist. Jarvan took the initiative Riven had given him and jumped impossibly high in the air, grabbing onto the golem's head with one hand and stabbing into where it's neck should be with the other.

The golem managed to repel both assaults, however, finally pushing Riven back and knocking her into a tree, and taking the opportunity it was given to grab Jarvan with both hands. Riven, charging forward,

stabbed for the golem's stomach area. She screamed as she did so, her ki lighting her blade, as she slashed erratically at the golem's body, the green glow of her blade so bright the blade itself seemed to only be a green glow highlighting the effects of Riven's furious assault. Riven hacked furiously at the golem's stomach, determined to free Jarvan – only, in her mind, the scene had long since shifted, and she was fighting an Ionian, desperately trying to save yet another one of her soldiers – her comrades, her only companionship for gods-knew-how-long this war had gone on. She wouldn't fail, she _would_ protect them. If only it would loosen it's grip...

Jarvan grunted, the Golem, not able to feel true pain, having had yet to release it's grip. "S-summoner, now!"

A large rune appeared in the air, as a blast of yellow light appeared to smash the golem from the inside, bits of rubble flying in every direction. "Took you long enough... are you alright, Riven?" Jarvan asked Riven.

Riven merely stood there, her face hidden from view, as she gripped her blade so tightly her Hand turned white, the blade shaking in her grasp.

"_Riven?_" Feng tried to mentally snap her out of her reverie.  
"Riven?" Jarvan asked next, putting a hand on her shoulder. Riven's shaking continued, and Jarvan, remembering a similar situaton with one of his own subjects, tried a different tact. "Commander, are you at attention?" Jarvan asked with a slightly authoritarian tone. Riven's shoulders tensed suddenly, and she shuddered as if waking from a bad dream. Finally, her shoulders relaxed, Riven's face seeming peaceful and calm. "I... I'm fine. I need to head to my lane." Riven blurted.

Riven walked slowly past Jarvan, brushing his shoulder as she walked by.

"Riven... I know how hard it is, to live past your soldier's death." Jarvan said to her back. Her pace did not slow as she walked away from Jarvan. "But keep in mind, every soldier fights not only to protect themselves, but the soldier next to them. And, for most, their commanding officer, too."

Riven slowed her pace for a moment, and stopped. A brief intake of air from her seemed to signal she wanted to say something back, but, after a brief moment, Riven finally breathed out, choosing to continue on towards her lane, instead.

Jarvan, for his own part, turned around and rushed to go tend to the wolves. He'd honestly expected to be exchanging harsh words with an uncooperative, arrogant, Noxian brat right now, not giving advice to a woman obviously still in mourning. He had much to learn, still... And about more than battle.

Riven felt somewhat relieved when she reached the bright, grassy road that was the top lane, as she left the brush. Her Natural issue with claustrophobia had been heightened since her... "episode" in the bush, and the dark shadows and tight corners of the jungle certainly didn't help.

She felt exhausted, like her strength had been drained away in the last confrontation, and noticing the bruises she'd managed to gain, she quickly grabbed a health potion from it's spot on her belt and drank it, feeling her exhaustion and soreness disappear as she did so. Still, Riven felt a certain tenseness in her shoulders that she knew came from stress, and she worried about how well she'd fare in the real battle that she knew was about to come.

The huge stone tower in the distance was a good marker for Riven, as she walked on exhausted legs towards her lane. Hearing short shuffling sounds behind her, she saw for the first time the "minions" she'd heard of, the little creatures seeming like gangly little children in large cloaks at first glance. Their gait was almost comical, and they seemed to have a slight lean towards their rights that made their walking pace utterly clumsy.

Following them the rest of the way, at a slower pace, Riven tensed further, as she realized that today, she'd finally confront Singed – an idea that made her anxious and nervous at the same time. She planned to use this match to get some measure of Vengeance on him, for what he'd done to her men, what he'd tried to do to her, and what she knew he'd do again without a moment's remorse.

On the other hand, everything did ride on this moment – would she be able to defeat the chemist? He hadn't seemed too apt a warrior, but... No! She wouldn't think about failure! She'd march straight through hell's gate if she needed to.

What mattered was killing him.

She hadn't noticed how far into the lane she'd gotten until she reached the enemy minion wave, the purple robes of the minions denoting them as fighting for Noxus. "_Last-hits, like I said. You need to get the killing blow on the minions – it's important._"

"Got it." Riven replied curtly, as she kicked one minion's head right off, not bothering with her blade for the creature. Still... She hadn't seen Singed yet! Could it be that he wasn't within the top lane.

"_...He might still be helping with Darius's Jungling, or perhaps he's planning to get his early boosts there. I wouldn't be surprised... and Given swain's unconventional tactics, perhaps we won't even need to fight him and he's just busying himself in the jungle._" Feng's words carried a hopeful tone, but the mood didn't carry on to Riven. It was good, tactically, she reasoned. Singed being out of the immediate area would mean that she had some spare time to deal with her objective and increase her own capabilities. Logically, this was the best chance she had to gain a win.

But she hadn't come here to get a win, she realized, as her blade shuddered in her hand, the green energy of her aura flowing into it, being further enhanced to a green glowing nexus of energy.

She'd come here for vengeance, she realized, and as it turned out she may as well not have shown up today. Riven's own anger rose, and she felt the need to take out her anger on something, _anything._

Fortunately, the minions standing in her way were perfect targets to direct that rage to.

"Err._... Riven?_" Feng asked, as Riven ran forward. Riven attacked so fast that it seemed there was always some wooden leg or metal weapon or armor flung into the air by the sheer force of her attacks, as she pushed the current wave back in what seemed like seconds and continued forward to Singed's tower without waiting for her own minions – not needing their help even in this state to smash the weak little creatures – She used a mixture of her blade and her hands to simply smash the creatures, who, even in numbers were utterly incapable of hitting a focused and experienced soldier of her caliber. But she did better than that even, using so much Ki in her strikes that one slice caused a crater to appear in the ground from the sheer force. Keeping up this momentum, Riven ended up leading her own untouched minions to the tower itself, stopping for just a second as her own exhaustion caught up with her. She watched for a moment as the minions rushed forward, the tower breaking a minion every hit and firing at a fast pace. Watching as another minion exploded into shrapnel, Riven was rather glad she wasn't the one the tower was focusing it's ire upon...

almost letting her sword fall to a relaxed position, she head a small splash from behind her, as a figure emerged. For all the anger that had started to bleed away, the rage that drove Riven increased tenfold, as Singed showed himself.

"now that you're exhausted enough not to simply try and strike me down... how about I give you a deal?"

Riven, feeling no reason or obligation to listen to Singed's attitude or cockiness, Simply charged forward with surprising speed, her Overhand slice just barely missing Singed as he side-stepped the attack.

"I've heard you want to kill me at any cost. If that's true... how about I give you a shot to permanently do the deed?" Singed said, whilst turning a valve on his back.

Feng's presence immediately filled Riven's mind. "_Don't listen to him. You need to pull back, the lane's too pushed and we don't know where Darius-_"

Riven pushed his presence back, slamming Singed in the face with the bottom of her sword and driving him back a few feet. "I'm listening. Hurry up if I haven't already broken your jaw!" she yelled, not sure why she was even letting this madman speak.

Singed smiled as red stained his mask.

**Ughhhhhhh, of all the chapters this is probably the one I'm least impressed with – which sucks given I didn't even release it on time. I kinda forgot to make room for writing this fic what with all the acquaintances coming into town for thanksgiving wanting my company for a couple hours. You'd be surprised just how fast one or two hours adds up spread over like 10 people.**

**In any case, I've got a better idea of where to go from here, but I'm sorry if people don't like how the pace of this goes. I promise the next chapter will be much better ^^ **

**also, to note some changes between this version of the league of legends, as opposed to the canon version, to help clear up later confusion:**

-Buff monsters, such as Golems(obviously) and the Lizard elder, are strong enough to give a pair of champions some trouble.

**-Towers fire at a very rapid rate compared to the original**

**-Minions are far more numerous, and are more or less front-line soldiers.**


	4. Mentor

Chapter 4:

Riven Pulled her blade close to her body, leaping forward with her blade pointed squarely towards Singed's neck. Singed, however, used this opportunity to step forward and Grab Riven's off-hand, his other arm – shield and all – used to grab her throat, before he put his leg behind hers, and smashed Riven Head-first into the ground. "_So it seems Singed knew a little about fighting after all..._" Riven thought to herself. She recognized the style – Noxian _Zahkwat_, a form of hand-to-hand combat primarily focused on grappling, and the quick breaking of bones through the usage of various holds. From what she'd seen of Singed's well coordinated movements, showing little waste of energy, he likely had spent some time becoming a master of the style.

Unfortunately for him, Riven spent a lot of time learning _Zahkwat_ as well, and she knew that the moment Singed shifted his weight, intending to use his knee to further subdue her...

Thrusting her sword-arm quickly to the left, Riven used the massive blade's weight to allow her to shift to the side, the weight advantage giving her enough lift to pull her other arm away from Singed, and continued the arc of the weapon so that the blade's hilt made a satisfying "pop" on Singed's knee that Riven knew from experience meant at least a minor fracture for Singed. Springing back onto her feet, she swung hard with the side of her blade, smashing Singed into the side of a nearby tree. As Riven dashed forward in chase, Singed thrust his shield forward, managing to stop Riven's first slash with his runed Bulwark, pushing back the blade with his shield. Singed momentarily grinned, but his satisfied face gave way to a shocked widening of the eyes as Riven's body suddenly began glowing with energy. "Aaaaah!" Riven yelled, A green blast of Energy erupting from her in all directions, blowing away anything not tied down and smashing apart anything that was – Singed included.

Gasping for air, Singed managed – after a few failed attempts – to prop himself up on one hand, his body smoking from the effect's of Riven's Ki surge – and the surrounding environment looked no better, as Riven now stood on a barren, smoking patch of earth, the arid heat of the air around her matching the fire burning in her eyes.  
Riven's stare did not waver, a glare that promised only death for Singed. "So, it seems you're still an anomaly... My toxins still hardly phase you." Riven blankly looked behind her, noting the trail of evaporating purple gas that she'd hardly noticed in the midst of attacking Singed. "What is it, do you think, that keeps you immune to them? Perhaps something in your genetics... though given my mixes of poisons, that's quite a broad immunity... Or maybe you're simply not fully human." Singed said. "But my poisons are made to account for even that drastic a mix-up of DNA, so why is it that you, of all people..."  
Riven charged forward, angry that for all the beating she'd given him, she still hadn't even managed to shut him up. Charging forward, her own anger caused her to miss Singed's next movement, as he threw a specially designed grenade. Exploding into a tan mess that resembled glue in texture, Riven didn't notice the projectile until it was too late, her legs sticking suddenly as she could hardly move

"Fortunately, I've more than just poisons. This happens to be my mega-adhesive gel. It expires quickly, but for it's duration it severely inhibits movement." Singed bragged, a feral grin on his face, as a blue light appeared around his body,  
"All you're doing is prolonging your death, Singed!" Riven yelled, the man's tactics infuriating her, as she tried to rush forward as quickly as she could, fighting the adhesive every step of the way as she tried to interrupt what she knew to be a summoner's recall spell.

"Too late, Girl!" Riven heard from behind her, from an all-too-familiar voice.

Riven blocked in front of her with her blade, instinct from sparring sessions in days long-past serving her well, as she felt herself pulled back by the massive axe that threw itself in front of her. Still, she'd lost her footing, and a punch from spiked gauntlets knocked her off her feet.

Spinning to her feet only a few inches away from the massive fighter, she looked up only to see what she'd hoped she would not, a man clad in full plate armor and sporting a red cape. She saw that, for the most part, he'd changed little from when they'd last seen eachother, though his black hair had a few more shades of grey in it, and his face seemed to be beginning to show it's age. His axe, on the other hand, seemed to be in pristine condition, and she assumed that he was still taking just as meticulous care of it as he had in times past.

"It's been a long time comman-" She stopped herself. If he'd reverted to "girl" there was no way she'd name him by title in return. "Darius."

Darius roared in anger, Slashing at Riven with Wild abandon with his Axe, Riven barely blocking them with the flat of her own weapon.

"You've become weak. Worthless. Pathetic." Darius spat at Riven's feet, as Riven merely fought to stay on them from the flurry of strikes. "When you left behind Noxus, did you also leave your strength behind too?"  
Riven grit her teeth at that, realizing he was probably right in at least one sense. Even before she'd left Noxus, the Ionian campaign was both harsh and under-funded, and soldier's rations were the first thing to be cut down on. Now, with so much time in Exile, her lack of active combat and food was showing in her strength and her reflexes.

Darius, on the other hand, was even stronger than the last time Riven and he had crossed blades.

"Come on, then. I do not tolerate cowardice."  
Riven readied her blade. "you don't get to talk down to me, Darius. I'm not one of your soldiers anymore."  
Darius's face showed, for a brief second, the slightest bit of pain, as though he'd been suddenly jabbed with a needle, and Riven, despite herself, almost felt like taking her words back...

But there was no chance to do so, as Darius's expression changed again to one of unbridled rage, and Riven charged forward with her head down, barely dodging his attempted decapitation. One thing was certain, her weapon had less reach now, and she needed to make up for that right now. Stopping Darius's next strike by catching his blade in her handle, she Smashed him across the face with a well-aimed punch.

Darius grinned at that, the blood coming from his mouth a chilling sight. "Is that really the best you can do by now, girl?"

Grabbing Riven by her Neck, Darius brought back his Axe into her shoulder, the metal pauldron shattering as the tip of the Axe-blade went through Riven's shoulder, before smashing her away with the handle of the weapon.

Riven's vision went blurry, as she just barely managed to stop his next series of attacks, the Axe hounding her at every angle, every turn. Her blade, somehow, managed to meet and stop most of those strikes, but eventually Darius chipped away at her defenses, cuts managing to appear on her legs and a reasonably deep cut causing her already-damaged other arm to go completely numb. Riven knew she was outmatched in this confrontation, but she also knew she needed to keep on her feet if she had any chance of winning this battle. The one thing she did know was how predictable rage made Darius, and if she could just hold on a little longer, she'd see her opportunity, however small it might be.

If she was going to lose this fight, it wouldn't be without her giving all she had first.

Darius snarled at that, bringing his axe to a neutral position "Let me show you the price for leaving Noxus!"

Darius leaped high in the air with a Roar, intent on cutting through Riven's body like a knife through butter with the force of a Guillotine. Had Riven attempted to block such a strike, she wouldn't even slow her demise, and the pure speed of the strike didn't allow Riven to dodge.

It was exactly what Riven was waiting for.

As Riven put all of her focus on Darius, time seemed almost to slow. Darius brought his Axe forward, the weapon screaming through the air with a sickening whine, almost seeming to rend the wind itself in two as he struck downward. Fear sank in Riven's stomach as she saw the all-too-deadly blade move towards her head, but dismissed it as she summoned her Ki to her. Pushing her good arm up and aiming, not at the axe, but at the arms holding them, She concentrated on her ki, the energy force that kept her alive, and she once again felt the sereneness of her energy fill her and focus her. Summoning as much of the energy as she could into her hand, She then concentrated on causing it to suddenly, violently _erupt_, as the energy pulsed green in her hand.

The glow shrunk inwards as Darius's axe grew ever closer. His face changed from one of anger to one of shock and surprise, realizing Riven's gambit.  
The energy spread from Riven's hands, churning outwards in all directions...

The Axe-blade brushed the top of Riven's hair, coming close enough to cut off individual strands...

suddenly, time shifted back to normal for Riven, as Darius was flung from the air and landed on his back several feet away. _Stay down, stay down_, Riven thought to herself. But she knew better, and Darius's slow, return to his feet proved just how fruitless such a hope was.

Fortunately, Riven didn't run on hope.

Charging forward, Riven began her counter-attack, her blade becoming a blur as she struck at Darius's defences, pushing him back inch-by-inch as he used the handle to block each strike. Darius used a diagonal chop to Riven's left, only for her to dash forward, her sudden spurt of speed landing her behind Darius before the older man could even react, and before he could turn Riven used her brief window to slash into and through his breastplate, the Noxian-made armour the only thing keeping the resulting wound from being mortal. "I!" Riven growled, blocking his next slash with his Axe as he whirled. "Never!" Riven smashed the axe-blade away from her as she rushed forward, "Left!" Riven slashed for Darius's chest, her strike knocked aside by Darius's gauntlet as he stared at her dumbfounded. "Noxus!"  
Riven heard the whistling sound the Axe made through the air and stopped it with her own blade, the two weapons clashing so hard that a shower of sparks briefly obscured the both of them. "Noxus died in Ionia! What you serve just happens to be what crawled out of it's husk!" she growled.

"Foolish child! Noxus has never been stronger!" Darius growled, pushing Riven back.

"With melters and werewolves? With troops treated like tools and murderers treated like gold?" Riven yelled back, managing to push his axe away, bringing her blade back for one last strike.

"Strength requires change and sacrifice!" Darius roared.

"Strength also needs effort and experience, fearlessness and valour! It's something you forge for yourself!" Riven yelled, and Darius briefly lost the grip on his axe.

"Isn't that what you taught me?" Riven shrieked, "Darius!"

"Riven!" Darius yelled, his frame shaking with anger as he shifted to a one-handed grip on his axe, his other hand clutching the sword-wound on his side

Both champions ran forward, each screaming their own battle cries, intent on ending this confrontation with one blow...

Darius roared, leaping into the air with his axe at the ready, only for him to suddenly disappear, a small yellow orb of light briefly appearing in his stead, before he reappeared closer to the river.

"..." Darius's expression was one of confusion, as he seemed to stare at his hands. "U-understood." he muttered, before turning.

"You're running?" Riven yelled at Darius, and the man bristled at that, his expression that of one that clearly wanted to resume the battle.

"...I have my orders." Darius replied finally, before turning his back on Riven, walking as best he could despite his injuries.  
"Damn it..." Riven nearly tripped simply from exhaustion, her leg just barely catching the ground beneath her again, and she realized she was in no condition to give chase.

Feng's voice, for the first time in what she supposed was probably many attempts through the course of that battle, managed to reach her. "_It's probable Singed left the lane to heal and get new supplies. We should do the same before he comes back, fully healed and with extra boosts to boot..._"

Riven barely acknowledged his statement with a "_hmm"_ her mind in a state of confusion. It wasn't the fact Darius had attacked her that truly shocked her, it wasn't that she couldn't make him see it her way, it wasn't that she couldn't win – it wasn't even that Singed got away.

It was the fact that she knew Darius held back.

The soft blue light encapsulated Riven, but her piercing hazel eyes never left the path away from the river.

**Won't take long for these author notes as just writing them might end up putting this on a Saturday release. I'm finally finished a chapter that's technically on-time, though, so that's a plus. I wish I'd managed to go for a mid-day release, but apparently when all your friends are gamers, bored, and don't have a fan-fiction to take up their time with, they get pretty vocal when you don't come play a game of league or two... or three or four as they keep saying "just one more"**

**As far as the chapter itself, I'm a lot happier with this chapter than I am chapter three, but my writing skills, particularly my fight scenes, are showing their limit in this chapter, and it frustrates me that I have so much issues conveying these images and battles to you people properly like you deserve. I'll try to do a better job at that on chapter five, I promise!  
This chapter was actually meant to be a much shorter confrontation that would be the first half or even quarter of chapter five, but ended up growing to be far more than that. Actually, in the first draft of this I more or less just forgot about Singed given how enveloping the Riven-Darius conflict was, and had to go back and give a more concrete explanation on why he wasn't there for a good amount of the chapter on the 2****nd**** try. That's okay, he'll get his moment, Singed fans. Those exist, right?**


End file.
